Re: American flags

[Carrol Cox <cbcox@xxxxxxxxx>]

Bill Lear wrote:
>
> On Friday, March 26, 2004 at 06:52:41 (+0100) Gassler Robert writes:
> >We can either reject an important symbol for all sorts of
> >intellectual reasons, or embrace it and tap into the emotions of a
> >majority of the population. If the flag has been used against the
> >left so effectively, why insist on letting the right keep using it?
>
> All sorts of (intellectual) reasons such as the rejection of using
> state symbols and emotion to sway people, otherwise known as
> demagoguery.  The flag is not an instrument.  To use it as such is
> dangerous and irresponsible.
>

Nearly _everyone_ when they first become involved in anti-war activity
take the position that we should use the flag since "we" are the real
patriots. That is a given, and we can't simply trash it, but we should
discourage it as much as possible without creating unnecessary hassle
for anyone.

"Why insist on letting the right keep using it?" It is not a matter of
our insisting; it's simply a fact that there is no way of ever depriving
the right of that use no matter how hard we try. It simply cannot be
done. It would be easier to take over the army's tanks than to take the
flag away from the rightists.

And of course, a flag in an anti-war march or rally is, objectively, a
lie. What the flag in such a context proclaims is that "The U.S. State
is a good state, and this war [Philippine Insurrection; 1916 invasion of
Mexico; WW 1; the whole list in Blum's books] is an aberration." As Bill
points out here, the flag does NOT represent the nation, the people, it
represents the imperialist _state_, and it will never represent anything
else.

Carrol